Tips on how to wean off of Paxil (paroxetine): Bad withdrawal.

If you can wean yourself off an antidepressant good for you. Many people do that and their depression comes back and then they have to wait six weeks to get it back in their system. I go back to “If it is not broke don’t fix it”
Unfortunately many people have depression and it is not something that just goes away if you stop taking an antidepressant.
A friend of mines wife was taking an antidepressant for many years and thought once she retired she didn’t need it anymore. My friend went through hell until she decided to start taking it again and then his wife had to wait six weeks to start feeling better.
Long story short she is feeling good again and being retired just didn’t make her depression go away. It would be nice if it did but that is not how it works for some people with a family history of depression.

I've been taking paxil for 13 years. Circumstances have changed and am now experiencing low sodium and need to stop taking. I've successfully reduced my 10 mg dose to 5mg, by pill splitting. There is no way that I can split again. Has anyone gone to 0 from 5 mg?

I have done this successfully
Start taking the 5mg every other day for 1 week, then keep reducing
The days taking. If you get down to 5mg 3 times a week you are done!

Thanks. I've been dreading the side affects from further reduction, but will gut it out.

Paxil has been awful to reduce the dose for me too.
It’s been 11 months and I am at 7.5 using the liquid form.
I decrease the dose by .25 milliliter every 3 to 4 weeks.
And, it’s still awful.

To get through this anxiety I cross taper with Remeron.

It still is not easy. Others been thru this?

I never planned on getting off of Paxil because it worked so well for anxiety …. Until it stopped helping after a super stressful time.

Tried cross tapering and nothing helped much so using a slow reduction with liquid and Remeron to help side effects.still have bad spells of restlessness. Upon waking is hard every morning

Is it possible to get thru this withdrawal, be on Remeron and the anxiety will eventually dissipate or atleast not be an every day occurrence like it is with the withdrawal.

See The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines and related websites (e.g., Outro, Surviving Antidepressants, The Inner Compass, May Cause Side Effects) for guidance to successfully reduce these types of drugs. Alternating doses is not recommended, and the book explains why. A steady, slow reduction is recommended.

Anxiety ramped up with me too.
It’s been 11 months and it’s taken me this long to go from 40 mg to 7.5
I’m still struggling with restlessness, anxiety.
Very disruptive in every area in life

I agree with you re Paxil withdraw. I just need to hear people say this restlessness/anx/irritation will one day go away after completely getting off Paxil.
March 2025 will be a year for me trying to wean off Paxil. I’m on the liquid and at 7.5 milligrams.
It’s been hell, a journey I wish no one had to experience.
Good to hear you say that it can take a year to get off Paxil. It will take me longer and I too feel withdrawal every time I reduce the dosage. And, I am only reducing now by .25 MIL every 2 to 3 weeks. The anxiety is really awful.
To get this far I am taking Remeron. Started at 7.5. Now at 30 mg. Don’t like starting on anything because of the fear the Paxil withdrawal has created BUT my body was experiencing so much angst that it needed calming.

Does the brain ever repair from this? Will the anx ever lessen where it stops effecting your life.
Do the number of years on this drug cause permanent damage, I was on Paxil for close to 30 years.

I hoped to stay on it forever until it just wasn’t working anymore in a very stressful time.

I took paxil a couple of decades ago. For maybe 1 to 1.5 yrs

I think I took 2 pills daily. I got a pill cutter. I then did 1.5 pills for a week or two, then 1 pill for a week or two, then half a pill, then half a pill on alternate days then stopped.

Still had brain zaps but not the end of the world in terms of overall side effects.

Definitely recommend easing off slowly if you and your dr feel weening off is appropriate

I’m guessing it may depend on how long someone has been on it. For me it was about 30 years. It was and still is rough.

I’m glad you did well !